Boomtown by Nowen N. ParticularPublished by Thomas Nelson, 2008.
ISBN 978-1-4003-1345-7
Reading Level ages 9-12
Boomtown tells the story of Reverend Arthur Button and his family as they settle into life in Boomtown, Washington. A life that Rev. Button was NOT prepared for! But one he's determined to keep after hearing that all 24 of his predecessors at Boomtown Church have died in bizarre mishaps.
I read this book aloud with my 5 year old son expecting lots or word play, puns, adventures and wacky characters. Our expectations were not disappointed. Only in Boomtown will you find a sheriff named Burton Ernie, fireworks at every holiday, and townspeople filled with grace and forgiveness.
My son has thoroughly enjoyed the adventures of Rev. Button and his family. I think boys of all ages, especially tweens, will enjoy the fun spirit of Boomtown's residents.
[Spoiler Alert] Before handing this book to your tween son you should be aware that one chapter deals with a baby, born to young unmarried parents, who is left on the Buttons' doorstep. I was unprepared for this subplot in a book about exploding hen grenades and rocket Santas. The author handles the topic with grace but the resulting conversation I had with my son about adoption was not one I had expected when I started the book. Also, the baby's parents are of different races (in a book set in 1950 when such a thing was a big deal) which went unnoticed by my five year old but could raise questions with a tween.
Overall Boomtown is a fun and interesting story best read as a family with an awareness of potential for deeper parent-child discussions.
*** For more Boomtown reviews visit Stephanie at Olive Tree and Alicia at Experiencing Each Moment.
6 comments:
Great review, Steph. That's actually a very good synopsis. I loved that Burton Ernie name. Very clever.
Yours is the second review I've read of this book and both were generally positive so now I'm really curious! =D Sounds really fun!
OH MY GOODNESS. I totally did not even catch that his name was like Bert-n-Ernie!! :) How funny!
Great review!
For Steph @ Olive Tree...I didn't catch it either until I was reading some random excerpt to my husband out loud, and it spilled out.
I think that's where reading this book out loud is a benefit. You can hear the word play and puns that you might not catch when reading silently.
Dear Mommy's Brain,
My name is Nowen N. Particular, the author of Boomtown. I just wanted to thank you for your very fair and balanced review of my book. It is, as you and your friend Alicia suggest, a "very busy book" with a lot going on and a lot to think about. I often tell people that Boomtown is "a kid's book for grownups." Alicia found the Bible Study Guide, which can help guide discussion (for those interested - available on my website at www.VisitBoomtown.com).
Anyway, I just wanted to say again how much I appreciated your review, as well as Alicia's and Stephanie's. Nowen.
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